Response: After the players quest successfully, the players may claim Signs of Gollum if it has no attached encounters. When claimed, attach Signs of Gollum to any hero committed to the quest. (Counts as a Condition attachment with: 'Forced: After attached hero is damaged or leaves play, return this card to the top of the encounter deck.')

Any player who does not control a hero with at least 1 Clue objective attached cannot commit characters to this quest. If there are ever no heroes with Clue objectives attached in play, reset the quest deck to stage 2B.
If the players defeat this stage, the players have once again found a true sign of Gollum's passing, and have won the game.